A New Partnership
by Mayhem N. Jeans
Summary: A REINTERPRETATION of Estar's reunion with Tyresius Lokai, or as we know him, Gault. *For added fun and drama, listen to Cowboy Bebop's soundtrack "Rush" during action scenes *Also, sorry for taking a while, it's been difficult to get back into the swing of things with school starting back up again, but I got my groove back. Read "At First Glance" for some back story.
1. Chapter 1

_Tyresius Lokai._

Estar jolted at those words, looking up at Mako, "What?"

The girl rolled her eyes. Her boss must not have been paying attention. Again. "Tyresius Lokai. He's a conman with a beautiful price after having crossed about every bigtime criminal in the Outer Rim, which makes him our new target,"

"Can you pull up an image?" Estar asked. She knew that name well. The last time she had heard it was the night her life had once again changed. He had been there the night that Oalvir had died ten years; Lokai was not the murderer, he was their bounty target, but rather a Jedi who had also been in pursuit of him had killed her mentor. By a fluke, Estar had managed to incapacitate both the Jedi and Lokai, but with Oalvir's death, she had nothing to do but run away.

Mako's eyes glazed over as she sifted through the holonet with the cybernetic implants in her brain. However much Estar disliked artificial implants, she could not argue with the convenience of having the holonet only the twitch of an eye away. But she was going to just let Mako keep the tech. No way was she letting someone put crazy electronics in her head. The idea of never being truly alone in her own mind made her dizzy. Mako never knew any other way, having always had the implants her whole life.

"Here you go," Mako announced, blinking to send the image to Estar's datapad. With a nearly simultaneous ping on her device, she received the image.

A scruffy looking Devaronian missing his right horn, it was no doubt him. He looked a little craggier than she remembered, but he had aged by ten years, plus from the looks of his record, the galaxy had not been easy on him. She was actually impressed, and surprised, that he was still alive. Several syndicates, gangs, cartels, and even the Republic had prices on him. After leaving him behind all those years ago, she had assumed he was doomed. Apparently he had somehow escaped the Jedi.

According to his reputation, Tyresius was most certainly going to be a challenge. The most recent tip said his last known location was on Tatooine, a dust ball of a planet that Estar would rather avoid, but since it seemed to be the place to go if you didn't want to be found, she was always going there.

"Fantastic," Estar said, putting down the datapad, "We'd better get going then. He seems to be a slippery one, but I think he's running out of tricks,"

"Sure thing, boss," Mako chirped and cheerfully hopped up to the _Mantis_'s cockpit. Within moments, the ship was whirring into hyper drive. Estar was going to guess that it would take them about an hour to get there, which gave her some time to think of a plan.

"Estar," A quiet voice spoke from the doorway, startling her. She turned to see Tytus standing, partially covered in shadow. His Chiss eyes glowed in the dark, "Who is it we're after this time?" He asked.

"Tyresius Lokai," She replied. He didn't flinch or blink, proving he did not recognize the name. Ten years ago, he had only been a little kid, staying behind while she and Oalvir went out on hunts. Even though he was only three years younger than she was, having to raise him had aged her tremendously, giving her the edge to be a hunter. She never gave him the details of Oalvir's death, figuring it was best just to cut their losses. It had been hard on him. Oalvir had been like a father to them in the short two years they had been with him. Tytus adored him and was distraught when he was gone. She had never told him that a Jedi had been the killer, for he also idolized the mystical order. She couldn't take everything he looked up to in a single blow. Then too much time had passed that she couldn't open up old wounds, either. So, she simply never told him.

A part of her knew that Tytus had known all along though, what had happened. He was different, quiet and wise. Even though no one had ever said it out loud, it was obvious he had the same powers as the Jedi. He chalked it up to instinct and reflexes, but his innate abilities to track down people without clear trails were incredible. Like a blood hound, he was able to get an imprint of someone just by a single belonging, making it possible for him to hunt them down with ease.

However, despite his skill, she also knew Tytus hated the hunting life they lead. There was nothing else they could do, though, for the galaxy was indeed a rough place to live. It was hunt or be hunted.

Tytus nodded solemnly. Estar felt her heart break a tiny bit more every time they had a new job. More than anything, she wanted the best for him. She wanted him to live a happy and comfortable life. He was smart; even if he couldn't train as a Jedi, he could still become something in the galaxy. Being only twenty-two, it wasn't too late for him to get an education, a job, maybe even a family of his own. But he refused to leave her behind in the life that she was trapped too deep in to ever hope to leave. Deep down, she felt that he feared that if he left her, she would only continue to decay, eventually morphing into a monster that thrived on credits and murder, the very thing she hunted. But it probably didn't matter since she was on that path anyway. Her humanity had long since faded away.

Silence had fallen between them.

Estar rubbed a tiny smudge on her gauntlet, "We're going to Tatooine, so make sure you're ready for the heat," She said.

"Alright," He said, vanishing to change his clothes. He didn't wear the armor like she did. Estar never let him join her, shielding him from the dangers of the hunt. His job was to tell her where to go, and that was it. His hands were clean.


	2. Chapter 2

An hour later, the_ Mantis_ landed in a dusty spaceport. Estar slipped on her helmet. Not only was it protection from the elements, it disguised her Chiss features. Chiss rarely appeared beyond their home world, making them a noticeable anomaly. She didn't need people to recognize her, making her job much more difficult than it already was.

Following the map that Tytus had marked, Estar made her way through the busy spaceport. People gave her plenty of space, her armor signaling that she was dangerous. Mako and Tytus stayed on the _Mantis_ as usual, feeding her the data she needed. Tytus didn't even use his power to track Tyresius, Estar was just going in based on the tip. If she found Tyresius's apartment with his belongings, then they could track him from there. Mako stayed behind to keep track of the holonet, which had the best reception from the _Mantis_. Mako was similar to Tytus in the dislike of violence, which Estar didn't mind either. She cared for Mako almost as much as she did Tytus, wanting to keep them both as detached from the hunt as possible. Sometimes Estar wanted a partner, but it would have to be someone she could trust to take care of themselves without her having to worry.

Stepping out into the blazing hot sunshine, she was thankful for her filtered helmet. The filters blocked out the suffocating odor of engine fumes, sweaty bodies, tired animals, and dry sand. Well, they blocked out most of it, at least. She checked her map on her wrist comm. Tyresius's projected location was a bar at the other side of town. It was rush hour, people bustled in the streets. That made it easier for her to slip through unnoticed, but the crowds also made it difficult for her to scan for threats. Running into competing hunters was not uncommon, especially with a price as high as Tyresius's. She had to be careful.

Estar almost laughed out loud when she found the bar. Run down and seedy, it was the most clichéd place possible for this guy to hide. Pushing past the swinging door, she entered the smoky bar room, making her way to the bartender. The hefty Zabrak eyed her narrowly as she sat down, leaving her helmet on.

"What'll it be?" He asked her, wiping a grimy glass with a gross rag that was only making it dirtier.

She shook her head, "Not looking for drinks," She replied. The voice filter gave her a deep man's voice, "But I am looking for a friend of mine. Want to give him a surprise,"

"No funny business here, pal," He wagged his finger at her warningly.

Raising her hands innocently, "Nothing rough, just a little catching up. If things do go sour, I'll take him out for a little walk to sort it out,"

He huffed. Having had worked in this place a long time, he probably knew her type, also knowing there was no profit in arguing with her, "My policy is not to give out that info. You can go sit in a corner and watch for your friend, just make sure you buy a drink every hour, or I'm tossing you out. Got it?"

"Clear as water,"

"Ha, water ain't clear here,"

She ordered a single glass of the generic whiskey, taking the drink to a booth in the far corner where she could all the exits. Nestling down in the cracked leather booth, she waited.

Thirty minutes later, her comm pinged. Shutting off her audio emitter, she was able to talk without her helmet projecting it, giving her a private conversation. It was Mako.

"Hey, boss, got a problem," She sounded anxious, "Looks like we've got someone else looking for Lokai, too. Big time hunter, named Trumbull. If you see a Duros come in, possibly with a droid companion, watch out,"

"Gotcha," Estar replied, instantly checking around the bar. No Duros, but that didn't mean she was clear. A flicker of movement caught her eye. She felt her pulse quicken as Tyresius Lokai stepped into the bar, his gold eyes scanning the bar. He wore a long dusty coat, an empty holster strapped across his chest "Target in sight, got to go," She said, hanging up before Mako could argue.

Tyresius sat down at the bar, the bartender automatically handing him a glass.

Estar kept her head lowered, looking interested in the glass on her table. She obviously was not drinking it, but he didn't seem to notice her. The front door swung open, a gust of hot sand blowing in. A tall Duros with a small hover droid behind him stepped in.

"Hey," The bartender called, "We don't serve droids here,"

The Duros said nothing, glancing at his droid. He only nodded to it, and it quietly hovered away. He walked past Estar's booth, slipping his hands in his pockets. She glimpsed a blaster tucked under his long coat. Definitely Trumbull, she decided. Trumbull sat down at the far end of the bar, opposite Tyresius.

If Estar wanted to catch Tyresius herself, she would have to act fast.


	3. Chapter 3

The Devaronian looked around nervously. He seemed aware that he needed to move. Downing the last of his drink, he hopped off the barstool and casually walked up the stairs to the hotel above the bar.

Switching on her audio emitter in case she needed it, Estar scooted out of the booth and also went up the stairs. She was far enough behind him, but could still see him.

In the empty hall, Tyresius turned the corner, quickly pulling out his key- an old fashioned metal key- and hurried to unlock his door. Tiptoeing, Estar silently crept behind him. Pulling out her smallest blaster, she pressed it into his ribcage.

He froze, stiffening as he recognized that there was a blaster on his back, "Well, this is just great," He sighed, as though she was only inconveniencing him, not threatening his life.

"Don't talk, just go into the room," She warned him in her synthesized man voice.

Still holding the blaster, she followed him into the tiny room. There was only room for a cot, table, and dry wash basin. The window was curtained with thick curtains that blocked out the sunlight completely. The curtains looked brand new, something he may had just recently put up. Glumly, Tyresius tossed his keys on the table, sitting down on the squeaky bed.

"So," He said, rubbing his hands together, "What's your plan? Going to shoot me, then have your cronies pick me up in a bag? Freeze me in carbonite? Take me alive and kicking so that whoever pays you the most can deliver painful revenge upon my poor body?"

"Your choice," She replied.

"How open to bribery are you?"

"Something tells me," She looked around the room, "That you probably don't have 150 million credits,"

He whistled, "150? I've outdone myself, haven't I?"

She said nothing. He was just as chatty as she remembered.

"You hunters certainly don't talk much,"

"Dead people don't talk much either,"

"Ouch, harsh,"

"He has a point there," A dark voice murmured from the doorway. Estar watched Tyresius's eyes widen. She groaned inwardly, turning to see Trumbull standing behind her with two blasters, one aimed at the each of them. There was a lock pick hanging from his belt. He must have used that to get in while she and Tyresius had been talking, "Put your hands up or neither of you are going to be doing anymore talking,"

Estar raised her blaster back up to Trumbull, "Don't be so presumptuous," She scoffed, holding it between his bulbous red eyes.

The hover craft that had been following Trumbull before appeared from behind him. A red light flashed on the top of its disk, as though it was angry. It started to squeal a high pitched hum.

"Hey, first guy-," Tyresius started to say to her but she didn't hear the rest of what he said.

A wave of sonic energy punched into her entire body, a boom exploding in her ears. The energy overloaded her helmet's sensors, her optics fizzing into static-y darkness. She stumbled back feeling the pressure push her into the wall. Despite being blinded and crushed, she still fired her blaster in the general direction. Someone grunted in pain, hopefully Trumbull. She was forced to remove her now fried helmet to see again. Twisting it off, her eyes burned at the bright lights, but she flung her helmet into the hover droid that easily dodged it. The droid started humming again, readying another sonic wave, so she charged at it.

Grabbing the droid in her hands, she caught it from midair and quickly tried to see where the sonic cannon was at on it so she could pull it off. Too late, another surge hit her. Without her helmet this time, however, the energy directly hit her head and unprotected ears. Splitting pain stunned her, the only sound she heard was a droning beep that never ended. Disoriented, she fell to her knees, trying to still keep herself together, but she couldn't stop the unconscious from taking over her. The last thing she heard was Tyresius's shocked voice, "That _girl_?"


	4. Chapter 4

Her head hurt, that was all she knew at first. Estar felt too stiff to move and her head absolutely pounded. That was her first time ever having a sonic cannon used on her, something she would from now on avoid at all costs. Groaning, she struggled to open her eyes.

"Wake-y, wake-y, sunshine," someone said

She looked up to see Tyresius sitting next to her. He looked a little exhausted, but mostly irritated. He stared at her, a strange look on his face. Does he recognize me? She wondered. But he wasn't the one who'd spoken. She looked to the speaker.

Trumbull stood over them, his damn hover droid floating over his shoulder, "So. I catch both the infamous Tyresius Lokai and the legendary Estar in one go? Someone is going to pay pretty pennies for you two. I'll even make it a two for one deal. Surely, you both have common enemies who would just love to tell you all about how you've upset them,"

Her head hurt too much to think of a comeback, but Tyresius had something to say.

"You know, having the most dangerous bounty hunter and the best conman in the galaxy tied up together is probably not the best idea you've ever had. I for one would recommend not messing with this particular hunter because I've seen her knock out a Jedi before with just a crowbar and two shots,"

So he did remember her. How awkward.

Trumbull was not fazed by Tyresius's words, "I'll make a note of that. But you're not going anywhere cause little Frisbee here is going to watch you while I go make some calls. So just sit tight for a while," The Duros turned and left, leaving the hover droid to stare at them.

In silence, they sat next to each other. Estar's head was starting to get better, "How long have I been out?" She asked him. Mako and Tytus would be looking for her soon. She studied the room, trying to decide where they were.

"Not too incredibly long. Maybe twenty minutes. We're still on Tatooine, I think in a moisturizing farm storage tank,"

Estar glanced at her wrist comm. If Trumbull was an idiot and didn't have on jamming signals and her tech hadn't been completely fried by the sonic cannon, then she could turn on her tracking equipment. Carefully so that Frisbee didn't notice, she reached to flick on the device. As she reached, though, she saw another big issue. A cuff was on her hand. A cuff that also had a plastisteel cord running to an identical cuff on Tyresius's wrist, linking them together.

"You have got to be kidding me," She sighed, still flicking on the tracker. The tiny orange light flickered, barely alive. It would be just enough for Mako and Tytus to track. At least, she hoped it was enough.

"Yeah. Our friend here is very economic in keeping prisoners. Also, I don't think he's accustomed with taking in live bounties,"

"Dead ones won't get you as good a price, but are definitely more convenient to transport," She replied with a shrug. She preferred carbonite, but that was extremely expensive. She had been lucky enough to 'borrow' one from one of her bounties, but even just the cost of maintenance was extreme.

"And that, kids, is words of wisdom from your friendly bounty hunter," He looked around, "Got any brilliant ideas?" He asked as casually as if he was wondering if it was going to rain today.

"You're the conman. I'm just muscle,"

"That's true, but it's not like I can convince the cuffs, angry droid, and nasty hunter to just let us go,"

She sighed, "Fine. Just shut up so I can think,"

"You're just as feisty as you were last time," He commented. She glared at him, hoping to silence him, but he shrugged nonchalantly, unfazed by her stare.

Finally, he was quiet. Estar looked around the room. It was small, lined with rusty grates and drains. There was a single door where Trumbull had left and where Frisbee now watched. With her free hand, she tapped the metal grating. It echoed. The sonic emitter was her main concern, but in such a small room with sound deflective walls, the droid would also be hit. Either the droid would realize that and not use its weapon, or it could destroy itself. Also, doing that could fry the rest of her tech, leaving them without a map, tracker, or any communication.

"Do you know where town is from here?" She asked Tyresius, keeping her voice as casual as possible. He nodded subtly, "And how much do loud noises bother you?"

"Depends. I think I'd be okay, though,"

"Fantastic," She replied, "Get up,"

Frisbee stared angrily at them as they both stood up, starting to hum as the sonic cannon warmed up.

"Hey, Frisbee!" Tyresius taunted, "I bet that-"

The sonic boom erupted in the tiny room, stopping his taunt. They fell to the ground as everything shook. Estar couldn't even hear anything, her ears were ringing so loudly. Tyresius covered her body with his, probably by accident as there was nowhere else for him to really land, being cuffed to her and all. She watched as Frisbee's tech overloaded, sparks flying off of it. Tyresius ducked closer to her, putting his both arms over their heads.

Dizzy and deaf, Estar pulled herself up, Tyresius dragging behind. He was so stunned, having had taken the brunt of the hit, that he couldn't stand straight. Despite that, she charged out the now ajar door. Kicking it open, she saw Trumbull waiting for her, blaster drawn. No time to think, she body slammed into the Duros hunter. Both he and Tyresius fell down, but she grabbed Tyresius's hands before he hit the ground. She spun the conman around, jamming her boot into Trumbull's gut as she did so.

Trumbull grabbed her ankle, trying to trip her, but Tyresius was still holding her hands, so he kept her on her feet. Flailing her free foot, Estar kicked Trumbull's rounded head as she fell backwards. Tyresius caught her under her armpits, pulling her back from the other hunter. Trumbull was stunned as he tried to grab his blaster from where it had fallen from him. Since his arms were still wrapped around her, Tyresius picked Estar's slight frame off the ground, practically throwing themselves to the blaster. Kicking it with the tip of her toe, she flung it away.

While they were being distracted by the blaster, Trumbull got back to his feet. A gash marked his forehead as silver blood poured from the angry wound. He glared at them, raising his fist. Tyresius placed Estar down as she glanced at him, gently tugging at the cord holding them together. Nodding almost imperceptivity, Tyresius stared down Trumbull.

"Wanna play a game?" He asked the hunter in a menacing light voice, "Red rover, red rover…" His voice was sing-songy like a child playing a game, "Trumbull, we're coming over,"

Trumbull stared them down, but he looked more uncertain than before. However, he had no time to properly react as both Tyresius and Estar charged him. Catching his throat with the cuff's cord, they pinned him against the wall. Gurgling for air, he struggled to kick them, but they stood to his side out of reach.

Estar closed her eyes as she listened to his struggling weaken. There was no real choice but to kill him. He knew who she was and could easily track her down for revenge, something that she did not need coming up in the future.

Moments later, he fell still beneath their choking hold. Sighing, Tyresius let go of the now dead Duros, the body flopping to the floor. Estar wiped her brow with her free hand. One problem down, now she only had about thirty-seven other ones. She glanced at her wrist. Indeed, her tracker light had died in the final sonic boom. So, now she had to focus on getting back to civilization, freeing her hand, and deciding what she was going to do with Tyresius.

"So," Tyresius said, rubbing his sore cuffed wrist, "What's our plan now?"

_"Our_ plan?" She asked, "You forget that I'm here for the same reason he was," She gestured to Trumbull, "My plan is to keep you stuck to me until we find my ship, then I'm turning you in for my bounty. After that, I'm long gone and you'll be just plain gone,"

He shrugged, "Sure, whatever you say then," He didn't sound at all worried.

"No funny business, Lokai," She warned, tugging on his wrist, "You make one wrong move and your toast. I can deal with the ten percent price reduction, I'll still be rich,"

"Kill me and you'll have to drag my carcass around, and I don't think this heat will be doing you any favors. So, whether or not you want to, you're stuck with me," He crossed his arms, pleased by the fact that he was right and she was stuck with him.

Rolling her eyes, Estar just turned away, pulling him with her, "Don't push your luck," She said finally.

"Well, isn't this just fabulous?" Tyresius said as they stared out in the empty desert. There was nothing as far as Estar could see, plus without any of her maps or comms, they were basically lost. The suns were high in the sky, heat waves rising from the blinding sands. Stars, did she hate Tatooine.

"How familiar are you with this place?" She asked him.

He shrugged, "I only know the way from the bar to the supermarket. So, pretty much nothing,"

"This just keeps getting better and better," She muttered, stepping out in the sand. There was something towards the east that looked like either mountains or possibly the town. According to what Tyresius had said earlier, they were about a twenty minute bike ride from town. Assuming that Trumbull was not using safe driving skills, they probably drove over eighty kilometers, making town possibly 160 kilometers away. If they left now, they could make it to town in the morning by walking all night, "What do you think of that way?" She asked him, pointing towards the mass in the distance.

"Your guess is as good as mine," He replied with another shrug. Dying out in the desert was a better option for him than dying in a Hutt's torture chamber. Plus, if he could take her out with him, it would serve as sort of a poetic justice.

"Alright. Get moving," She said, pushing him towards the east.


	5. Chapter 5

The twin suns were almost down. They hovered over the horizon in a beautiful sunset, colors of blue and orange splashed over the sky. If she wasn't about to fall over from exhaustion and thirst, Estar would have appreciated it much more. Tyresius was still a chatterbox, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she had long stopped replying to him, only occasionally grunting. Her legs felt like jelly and her head pounded. She couldn't even understand what he was saying anymore. His voice only droned on in the background, almost drowned out by the dull buzz roaring in her head.

Her foot caught in the sand, almost tripping her. Tyresius caught her shoulder, "Steady there, don't want you dragging the both of us down,"

"I'm fine," She muttered, promptly tripping again. This time, he didn't catch her, so they both fell to their knees.

"You don't look good," He noted.

"Gee, thanks, but I said I was fine," She tried getting up, but her knees refused to lock. Bile rose in her throat. She was probably dehydrated and still exhausted from fighting the sonic cannon and Trumbull. There was a stitch in her side. However, Tyresius did not need to know how weak she was.

"No, you're not," He insisted, "Don't be acting all tough and stoic, then just drop dead. You're not going to be doing me any favors that way. We're each other's best bet for survival. One of us dies then we're both goners,"

Estar nodded, nausea rushing over her. She had no will to argue with the scoundrel anymore.

Tyresius sat next to her, looking around, "Sometimes, there's cave around the desert. Little caves with maybe water deposits inside. If we can find an oasis cave to stay in for a bit, then we can keep going later,"

"Fine. But pull any tricks, Lokai, and you're womp rat food,"

As Estar stood up, her legs still refused to cooperate, so she nearly fell back down. Landing in Tyresius's arms, she leaned against his chest for a moment, trying to get control back of her body, "You're in no condition to walk," He said. In one smooth gesture, he scooped her off of her wobbly feet, holding her in his arms.

"Put me down!" She yelled, squirming.

He held tight, "You can't walk, you're a lame duck. I can handle it,"

Her cuffed hand was pulled uncomfortably tight as he carried her, but she resigned with a huff. The fact that he could carry her wasn't as impressive as one would think. As much as she hated it, Estar could not argue that she had a small frame. Because of her size, she always picked the lightest weight armor that provided agility. In full armor, she still weighed only around 200 pounds. Most armor sets weighed that alone.

Tyresius carried her towards the sand dunes, where he thought a cave would most likely be. She swayed in his arms, slowly being lulled into unconsciousness. Fighting to stay awake, she stared at the white moon rising in the distance.

"This looks promising," Tyresius said, walking up to an oddly shaped dune.

Together, they peered around the corner. Indeed, there was a small cave opening, just as he'd promised they would find.

She squirmed again, "Put me down so we can check it first. Who knows what the devil could be in there,"

Obligingly, he set her back on her feet. The temporary break had helped, but she still felt unsteady. Weaponless, they carefully poked their heads into the cave. As Estar's head entered the cave, she almost instantly felt cooled off. The air was chilled and had moisture to it. She could not hear any sounds of anything, and the moonlight dimly lit it, showing that it was empty.

"See!" Tyresius clapped his hands, "What did I tell you?"


	6. Chapter 6

Estar hated it, but Tyresius was right. There was a small pool of gritty water inside, but it smelled and tasted clean enough. She gulped a little, gauging herself to make sure she didn't get sick. Tyresius did the same. After drinking enough to rinse the sand caking their throats, they sat down, side by side, of course, since they were still bound together.

There was no way Estar was going to let herself fall asleep. Tied together or not, she still wasn't trusting him. As kind and amiable as he seemed, she reminded herself why she was after him. He had used that same charm on dozens of people, and then betrayed them. She was here to take him in to repay those people for what he'd done. He was not to be trusted.

Staring at the moonlit pool, she focused on staying awake, keeping Tyresius's annoying charm blocked. At first, he was content with being quiet, but his nature took over and he started getting chatty with her. Again. Estar was going to refuse talking to him, not needing to let her guard down.

He sighed, "So, this is a little awkward, huh?" After moment of Estar ignoring him, he decided to continue, "I mean you were the first hunter who had ever gone after me. How ironic that you'd be my last one,"

Finally, she couldn't ignore him anymore, "Who was that Jedi and why after you?"

"Clotus," He chuckled, "I was giving him inside information on my bosses' operations. Apparently though, my bosses knew I was the mole, so they fed me false info, which I gave to him. When it backfired into a trap, he instantly assumed I was the traitor, so he put me under arrest. It's been just one long roller coaster ride from there,"

"You mean to tell me you were innocent after all this time?" She was in disbelief.

He laughed out loud, "I never said that, sweetheart. Just, after I was tagged as a criminal, I decided, 'Hey, why not?' I was naturally skilled at it, and it was all the galaxy seemed willing to let me be,"

_All the galaxy was willing to let him be_. Stars, did she understand that.

"After you conked Clotus out, I came to. You were gone, he was there, so I knew it was time to run. I found other gangsters who wanted what I could do. They hired me as a conman, so it's inevitable that's what I would do. It's funny how surprised they would act when I did just what they hired me to do to other people,"

"It's just business until it turns around on them,"

"Exactly. They don't seem to realize that you win some, you lose some. So, how did you get into this world of violence? You've been in it for quite some time yourself,"

She almost laughed. Did he really think she was going to tell him her whole life story just because he fed a plausible one of himself to her? No way was he getting those details. He's just another job, she told herself, just another bounty.

"Same as you; It's all the galaxy would let me be," She said nothing else. She didn't have to. He nodded in agreement.

"What a day," He leaned back against the sandy rock wall, clasping his hands behind his head, "I knew coming to Tatooine would be a dead end for me. I was done, anyways, with this life of lying and running. It was time for a shakeup, and this is all that was left for me to do. I can appreciate the poetic quality of you being the one to find me. It's like I've spent the last ten years running away from you, and now I can finally give up. The chase is up, you got me. You win, little hunter,"

Estar was silent. A strange lump formed in her throat, something that hadn't happened in a long time. She cursed the emotional lapse, swallowing it away. No wonder so many people had been duped by this man, he was so good at manipulating words.

Her silence did not bother him, "Alright, that's my monologue for the day, suppose it's time to hit the sack. Might be my last chance to really get some shut eye," And just like that, he tilted his head against the wall, promptly closing his eyes. Moments later, he started snoring. Estar was astounded at his ability to just fall asleep. She had gotten to the point where she had to rely on stims to go to sleep, despite whatever exhaustion she was feeling.

Tyresius snored evenly beside Estar. She could feel the warmth from his body, pleasant in the cool air of the cave. Leaning back, she found her eyes growing heavy. That was surprising. The effects of the sonic cannon and dehydration must have taken a serious toll on her if she was this tired. She listened to the pattern of Tyresius's breath, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. Just as her eyes shut, she vaguely thought, Huh, this is weird, before she suddenly fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey, Estar," A familiar voice whispered. Disoriented, Estar opened her eyes. How dead asleep was she that she let someone sneak up on her? She looked up to see glowing red eyes much like hers. Tytus. He was kneeling in front of her, Mako standing behind him. The girl had her small blaster drawn, aiming at Tyresius, who was still snoring as heavily as ever, "I don't know how you ended up this far out in the middle of know where, handcuffed to this guy, but I'm going to guess it's an interesting story,"

"Nah," She replied, stretching out her aching arms, "Just ran into a little friendly competition,"

"Trumbull?" Mako asked, watching around. Even though she was small, smaller than Estar, she still had to stoop to keep her head from hitting the roof of the cave.

Estar nodded, "Yep, but since we blew him up, I don't think he'll be much of a bother anymore,"

"What about him?" Tytus asked, pointing at Tyresius.

"He seems strangely content to being caught. Keep an eye on him. Don't un-cuff us until we get him to the holding cell on the _Mantis_,"

Tyresius's eyes popped open. He had been awake the whole time, she realized, the scoundrel. "Good morning, sunshine!" He said perkily, eying Tytus and Mako. His stare lingered on Tytus, "And who is this? Is he your Mister Sunshine?" He asked her, sounding slightly confused.

She rolled her eyes, "No, Lokai, it's my brother,"

"Ah, I see," Tyresius perked back up, "So, I suppose it's time for us to leave,"

"One moment," Estar said, "How in the stars did you two find us?" She asked Tytus.

"Emergency trackers I installed," Mako replied, "Meant to tell you, but it slipped my mind. When your primary tracking system gets deactivated, this one will send out a new signal, although a weaker one. Once we lost track of you, I activated it and we went out looking for you. I had no idea that these dune caves existed, so you can imagine how worried we were when your tracker led us to a sand dune,"

"Yeah, digging me out would get sand everywhere," Estar shrugged off their concern, standing up. She jerked Tyresius up, too, ready to just get back to the ship and wash off the sand and slime.

"It would be terrible," Tytus agreed, "The sand is bad enough as it is, we'd be shaking it out of our shoes for weeks. We better get out of here, though. Weather reports forecasted a sandstorm is coming our way,"


	8. Chapter 8

After taking what may have been the most spectacular shower in her life, Estar laid sprawled out on her bed, wrapped in a soft pink towel. Mako had gotten the towels, which Estar found to be excessive, but she couldn't help but appreciate the luxurious fluffiness of them. Tyresius was safely locked in their holding cell down in the lower deck, where he was out of the way. The ray shielded cell should be sufficient to hold him in.

Sitting up, Estar picked up her datapad. She logged into the bounty base, ready to mark Tyresius as caught and ready for pick up and payment. Her thumb hovered over the tag button, hesitating. His profile picture stared up at her, that devious half grin of his playing across his lips.

In all truth, he had saved her life, even though he was the one who had put it into jeopardy in the first place. Not even just on Tatooine, but all those years ago when Oalvir died. Ever since Oalvir was gone, she had been on the run alone, taking care of Tytus the best she could. She thought back to that night as she stood, facing off the wild Jedi. Tyresius had just discovered she was merely a child, so he had begged Clotus to spare her life. He promised to comply with his demands and allow himself to be quietly arrested. The Jedi seemed willing to listen to his bargaining, refraining from killing her like he had Oalvir, but she had stunned the scoundrel to shut him up, unwilling to lose her bounty just because she was young.

The battle with the Jedi had been brief. She won only by a fluke, accidentally stunning him with a stray bolt. When she realized that Oalvir was dead, there was no reason for her to take Tyresius in, so she left him to fend for himself against the Jedi.

And here they were again, ten years later. As much as she hated to admit it, she likely would have died in the desert if he hadn't intervened, forcing her to take shelter in the dune cave. Even if he was only doing it to save his own skin, she still grudgingly owed him.

But did she trust him? No, she didn't trust him as far as she could spit.

Plus, the bounty on his head was a beauty. She could use that money for a lot of things. Ship upgrades, remodeling the interior, fixing the carbonite machine, or even other things, like convince Tytus and Mako to take it so they could go to school somewhere far away from this madness. The money would not be spent recklessly, it would be worth it.

_It was all the galaxy seemed willing to let me be._ He had said back in the cave, words she had taken to heart nearly her whole life. Tyresius didn't choose live to as he had ended up; He was dealt a sour hand, so he took it and ran for his life. Like a boat trapped in the rapids, he held tight to the paddle, deciding what rocks he was going to crash upon. It was the same way she had lived her life for as long as she could remember. Spiraling out of control, struggling to stay above the waves, gulping down every breath she could to stay alive.

Deep down, she and he were the same. She couldn't ignore that, couldn't let it go.

Cripes, she muttered, picking up her folded clothes off the foot of her bed.


	9. Chapter 9

Typing in the seven digit code, Estar unlocked the ray shielded cell door. Tyresius sat at the small table inside, his cuffed hands clasped neatly on top of it. He watched her, silent, as she pulled up the other chair, sitting across from him.

She stared at the worn wood of the table, not looking at him, "I don't normally do favors," She said quietly. Bless the stars, he stayed quiet, only nodding. If he started acting smug for a second, she was leaving, "But sometimes there are exceptions. Technically, you saved my life back there, so I do owe you. I could maybe change your bounty status to KIA, no remains. I maybe could do that," Her words slowly dragged out. Half her brain was telling her that this could possibly be her worst idea in a long time, "Also, I might be able to arrange for a new ID to be made for you. You could fill in the bio, if you wanted to,"

"A blank slate?" He asked, disbelieving. She still refused to look at him, but she could hear the almost childlike excitement in his voice.

"Sort of. It's not a chance to muck up your life again, it's a chance to steer it in another direction. I have a spare bunk, if you need time to get back on your feet again. If you want it. You won't be on here for a free cruise, you'll be working for me. When I say jump, you say how high,"

Tyresius leaned back in his chair. She finally looked up at him, gauging his reaction. Even though he acted like he was in deep thought, she could see his mind was already made up, "You know, you and I certainly made a good team back there. Working with you is the most profitable choice I can make,"

He extended his cuffed hands to her in an offer of shaking, "You've got a deal, sweetheart," He said.

"Don't call me sweetheart," Estar muttered, reaching across the table to shake on the deal. His hands were rough and warm over hers.

"Fine by me," He shrugged as she unlatched his cuffs, "I think we'll make a good team. I can do all the talking, while you kill people while looking pretty,"

She glared at him, "Or I can just kill people,"

He smiled at her. A genuine smile, too, not a grin or a smirk, but one that made his eyes crinkle.

And she was smiling actually back


End file.
